7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, June 21st, 2017

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.

Opens in Los Angeles on Friday, June 23rd, 2017

About Hare Krishna!

HARE KRISHNA! is a documentary on the life of Srila Prabhupada – the 70-year-old Indian Swami who arrives in America without support or money in the turbulent 1960s. Suddenly thrust into the raging counterculture, he speaks of the world's real need – a revolution in consciousness. This captures the attention of a generation of youth seeking answers and ignites a worldwide spiritual phenomenon, now known as the Hare Krishna movement.

Director's Statement

The long journey towards making Hare Krishna! started almost 50 years ago in 1970, when I found myself, camera in hand, smack bang in the middle of frenetic and beautifully intoxicating India, in a little town steeped in ancient spirituality called Surat. It was here that I first met Swami Srila Prabhupada.

At the time, I was a student enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York doing a Masters in Photography, and I had traveled to India to do my thesis on the origins of the Hare Krishna Movement.

Back then, the Hare Krishna’s were a relatively new group on the scene, mainly in New York and San Francisco. Known for their bald heads, orange robes, and dancing in the street, they were a source of bizarre fascination and a sight unseen before by the cynical, seasoned New Yorker. Yet, they seemed to be attracting a lot of attention among the youth of the burgeoning revolutionary movement.

I was a surfer from California who’d been a student at Berkeley during the height of the 1960s unrest, and had come to New York to pursue film and photography.

My first interaction with the Hare Krishna devotees was when I received a freelance assignment from Asia magazine to do an article on the movement. I took the pictures and Jean, my girlfriend—later to become my wife—wrote the article. My first impression upon meeting the followers at their New York temple was that they were exotic and strange. I was inexplicably attracted by their philosophy and practices, and felt a strong desire to meet the Swami who had brought this to America.

I was not prepared for the impact of that first meeting with Prabhupada. In person, he was diminutive, and yet exuded a powerful presence that was both attractive and mystifying. I had never met such a person.

During the following months in his company, surrounded by the rich spiritual culture of India, I found never-ending sources of inspiration from behind my camera. I experienced something beyond explanation—I felt I had finally come home to people and places I had known before. In the following years, Jean and I continued to document Prabhupada and his movement up until his passing in 1977.

Over time, I have come to intimately know Prabhupada’s life story and teachings, and in whatever professional or personal path I have taken, have always felt him to be a prominent guide in my life.

It is exciting beyond words to revisit his extraordinary life, and share it with others in a film that I feel will offer rare insights into his multifaceted personality, and his enduring message of happiness and hope.

-- John Griesser

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. Recognizing a need for greater diversity on campus, the series will draw from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

Check-In & Reservations

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. Please bring a valid USC ID or print out of your reservation confirmation, which will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Parking

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $12.00 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Ave. We recommend Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Metered street parking is also available along Jefferson Blvd.